On the 3^rd of March VNO-NCW and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency jointly hosted a World Bank procurement event during which a presentation was held about the new Procurement Policy Framework. Around 25 companies, many of which had been involved in the preceding stakeholder consultations, were present to learn from Mr. Enzo de Laurentiis, World Bank Regional Procurement Manager, about the new framework and the new opportunities it creates for the private sector.

Mr. de Laurentiis underlined that the new regulations introduced more flexibility in the design of the procurement process to ensure that it is fit for purpose and appropriate to the size, value and risk of the project. He added that one of the fundamental pillars of the new framework was that it allowed the use of value-for-money criteria for contract award decisions.

A key point, according to Mr. de Laurentiis, was that the World Bank will now be more involved in the contract management. He added that the World Bank would also take a more pro-active stance to facilitate solutions in regard to contract-related complaints – although legally it might not be a contract party.

In his presentation Mr. Laurentiis also referred to Alternative Procurement Arrangements (APA), about which he said that reverting to APA was only possible if the entity in question had principles fully in-line with the World Bank’s own core procurement principles such as Value for money, Integrity, Fit for purpose, Efficiency, Transparency and Fairness. The use of these arrangements will be based on the aptitude of the procuring institution, rather than on the country it resides in.

Mr. de Laurentiis discussed the massive change management effort the bank is undertaking in order to establish a new culture among both clients and its own staff, ensuring that value for money rather than the lowest price would become the guiding procurement principle. He explained that even in cases where APAs were used, the World Bank would need to approve the project specific procurement plan, thus having influence on process and decisions.

After the presentation a lunch was hosted by VNO-NCW, during which companies had the opportunity to discuss some of the procurement changes and its effects on their company with Mr. de Laurentiis. The new Procurement Framework is due to be implemented by July 1^st 2016. A summary of the most relevant changes for the Dutch Private Sector is posted here.

If you would like to receive the presentation or you have any question concerning the new framework, please contact the World Bank Private Sector Liaison Officers: Stephanie Broeder (stephanie.broeder@minbuza.nl), Vincent Kooijman (vincent.kooijman@minbuza.nl) or Commerijn Plomp (commerijn.plomp@rvo.nl).